Research

Hanns Hatt is distinguished for many contributions to chemosensation in vertebrates and invertebrates. The majority of theses were made from the Department of Cell Physiology of the Ruhr-University Bochum, which he chairs for more than twenty years and developed into a world renowned institution in this field. He made scientific contributions to research in the field of odour perception in vertebrates, especially humans and also invertebrates, e.g. drosophila. His promising work about structure and function of olfactory receptor proteins is of general interest.

In his lab the first human olfactory receptor could be deorphanized as well as the first olfactory receptor from invertebrates (drosophila). Using modern imaging and electrophysiological technologies he could demonstrate that the structure and the signalling of olfactory receptor proteins is completely different in vertebrates and invertebrates. In his department for the very first time it was shown that olfactory receptor proteins in humans were functionally expressed outside the nose in different tissues, like testis, prostate and skin. In his lab it could be demonstrated for the first time that human spermatozoa expressed the olfactory receptor hOR17-4 and application of the activating ligand (Bourgeonal) elicits a positive chemotactic and chemokinetic behaviour. The enormous importance of ectopically expressed olfactory receptors for basic research and clinical application could be further demonstrated with the olfactory receptor hOR31G1 in human prostate cancer cells.

Another remarkable finding of Hanns Hatt comes from his time in the department of Josef Dudel, Technical University Munich. He and his colleagues could show that ligand activated ion channels are able to open in the millisecond range and desensitize afterwards within the same time scale. That could only be demonstrated by using a new ultra fast application technology which was developed in the lab. Using this new method for the first time glutamate ion channels in vertebrates and invertebrates could be measured.

Career

• seit 1992 Ord. Univ. Prof. (C4) Lehrstuhl für Zellphysiologie an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 1991 Ord. Univ. Prof. (C3) am Physiologischen Institut der Medizinischen Fakultät der Technischen Universität München
• 1984 Weiterbildung als Arzt für Naturheilverfahren
• 1984 Habilitation in Physiologie an der Medizinischen Fakultät der Technischen Universität München
• 1983 Promotion in Medizin an der Technischen Universität München
• 1981 Approbation in Medizin
• 1981 Staatsexamen Humanmedizin
• 1976 Promotion in Zoologie
• 1975-1981 Studium der Humanmedizin
• 1972-1976 Biologische Doktorarbeit an der Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München
• 1970-1972 Staatsexamensarbeit in Biologie am MPI für Verhaltensphysiologie in Seewiesen
• 1967-1972 Studium Biologie und Chemie an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Functions

• 2015-2021 Präsident der Union der deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften
• 2010-2015 Präsident der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• 2007-2009 Sprecher Life Sciences Research School, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 2007-2009 Vize-Präsident der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• seit 2005 Vorsitzender des Promotionsausschusses der Fakultät für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Ruhr Universität Bochum
• seit 2005 Sprecher der International Graduate School Bioscience, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 2004-2008 Mitglied des Fachkollegiums „Neurowissenschaft“ der DFG
• 2003-2010 Mitglied des Senats der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• seit 2002 Mitglied der New York Academy of Sciences
• seit 2001 Mitglied der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
• 1999-2003 Dekan der Fakultät für Biologie und Biotechnologie der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 1998-2002 Präsident von ICOT (International Commission of Olfaction and Taste)
• 1994-1998 Präsident von ECRO (European Chemoreception Research Organization)

Honours and Memberships

• seit 2012 Mitglied der Nationalen Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina
• 2010 Communicator-Preis
• 2010 Robert Pfleger Forschungspreis
• 2007 Transferpreis NRW
• 2006 Erfinderpreis der Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 2005 Philip Morris Forschungspreis
• 2003,2005, 2007 Lecturer Award (International Graduate School Neuroscience RUB)